foolhardy

adjective

fool·​har·​dy ˈfül-ˌhär-dē How to pronounce foolhardy (audio)
: foolishly adventurous and bold : rash
a foolhardy explorer
foolhardy investors
foolhardily adverb
foolhardiness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for foolhardy

adventurous, venturesome, daring, daredevil, rash, reckless, foolhardy mean exposing oneself to danger more than required by good sense.

adventurous implies a willingness to accept risks but not necessarily imprudence.

adventurous pioneers

venturesome implies a jaunty eagerness for perilous undertakings.

venturesome stunt pilots

daring implies fearlessness in courting danger.

daring mountain climbers

daredevil stresses ostentation in daring.

daredevil motorcyclists

rash suggests imprudence and lack of forethought.

a rash decision

reckless implies heedlessness of probable consequences.

a reckless driver

foolhardy suggests a recklessness that is inconsistent with good sense.

the foolhardy sailor ventured into the storm

Examples of foolhardy in a Sentence

hikers who were foolhardy enough to remain on the summit during a thunderstorm it's foolhardy to go hiking during late fall without warm clothes
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Overshadowing the endorsement was a foolhardy rhetorical flourish that insulted key voting blocs courted by the Republican nominee in his campaign against the Democratic nominee, New York Governor Grover Cleveland. Robert B. Mitchell / Made By History, TIME, 24 Oct. 2024 An empathy gap is obvious in online commenters who suggest, for example, that flood victims earned their fate through the foolhardy choice to live near water, that earthquake victims shouldn’t have lived near fault lines, and so on. Hazlitt, 23 Oct. 2024 And if even one state’s bioweapons program experimented with extinction-level pathogens—perhaps on a foolhardy quest to develop the ultimate deterrent—the next laboratory accident could precipitate a global pandemic much worse than that of COVID-19. William MacAskill, Foreign Affairs, 11 Aug. 2022 The brave—or foolhardy—among us can even love to love it. Simon Garfield, The Atlantic, 21 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for foolhardy 

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of foolhardy was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near foolhardy

Cite this Entry

“Foolhardy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foolhardy. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

foolhardy

adjective
fool·​har·​dy ˈfül-ˌhärd-ē How to pronounce foolhardy (audio)
: foolishly adventurous or bold
foolhardily adverb
foolhardiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on foolhardy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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